Chris Robinson Brotherhood at Echoplex: May 9, 2011

Wow, four posts in less than 3 weeks?!? I'm trying!

Rollo and Grady is keeping me busy this month, and off again I went on assignment for them at the Echoplex to catch the Chris Robinson Brotherhood.

I only know a handful of Black Crowes tunes, and I definitely felt out of my element. In fact, a bespectacled boy in a blazer asked me if I knew any of the songs being played during the first half of the set, as he was apparently a Crowes fan, but had not heard the other material. It was embarrassing to admit I didn't know them, either. :P

Despite me not having the proper knowledge, Mr. Robinson and company were still engaging to me. And they kept rocking it. And then some. They probably played over two and a half hours, not counting the intermission between sets. It was a long evening, that's for sure. Not sure if I have the stamina to last through a show that doesn't get done until almost 1am!

Here are a few of my favorite shots of the evening. And if anyone knows the whereabouts of that blazer boy, please send him my way, as I'm a little bit above the "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist. ;)

Charles Bradley and The Menahan Street Band at the Echo: May 4, 2011

When asked by music blog Rollo and Grady to shoot Charles Bradley at the Echo this past Wednesday night, I had no idea who he was. This is often the case these days when I'm sent out on a music shoot. Frankly, the name sounded like it could belong to a basketball player. I did find out later through some research that there was a former Boston Celtics player of the same name, so I wasn't too far off. But upon finding out Charles Bradley's record label was a subset of Daptone Records, it was all I needed to know I would be in for a treat.

Living a lot farther from Los Angeles than I used to be, plus just being plain older, makes one less apt and able to grab the camera equipment for a late evening of music. With no true opener except for a DJ, I arrived plenty early to secure a spot up front for the show.

Finally taking the stage 30 minutes after he was scheduled to, the band put on a fierce, sweaty, show for the young crowd. Charles Bradley seemed genuinely moved and touched by everyone in the venue, and expressed his love several times throughout the evening.

Reminding me of James Brown, Bradley shook all that he had and then some, so much so that his knee started to bleed through his white pants!

It was completely captivating. How can you not smile when you see a man in his 60s decides to stage dive into the crowd for his finale??

Some shots from the evening: